I don't know what happened, I was going to write a lighthearted friendship drabble...now look what my brain made me do; angst.
Inspired by art by Pascal Campion (check my tumblr if you want to see), which actually gave me happy, warm vibes, so yeah, my brain definitely glitched after the first two sentences.
Thanks for all the reviews and follows! Hope you'll enjoy this one, even if it turned out darker than intended.
It felt like a lifetime had passed since the last time she had the opportunity to enjoy some quiet time, out in nature. Resting her arms on her raised knees, chin on her arms, she sat quietly, watching a duck lead her ducklings into the calm water of the lake as the mating call of cicadas quickly faded into white noise.
"This is like a dentist appointment from hell." Tony plopped down next to her, scooting a little closer to stay out of the blazing sun.
Ziva rested her cheek on her arms so she could look at him. So much for quiet time.
His smile looked as tired as she felt. She supposed they could all do with some quiet time—even if that meant different things for each team member—after the harrowing case they had just wrapped up. She rested her chin back on her arms and went back to staring at the ducklings. So small and innocent, still clueless to the dangers of the world. Or so she hoped.
She sighed heavily.
Tony's movement caught her eye and she looked up questioningly.
"I guess you came out here to be alone," he said with a lopsided smile, as he brushed dirt from the back of his dress pants. The shorts and tank top she was currently wearing had doubled as pajamas. Taking time off to enjoy the weather hadn't been on the program when they came here.
"Yes…but…"
But what? She wasn't sure. She had come here to be alone, before their flight home, to make sense of what had happened. What had almost happened. But now that he was here, she no longer wanted to be alone and dwell, not on a beautiful summer day like today.
"It's okay," he said reassuringly, "can't get a word in edgewise, anyways, with those damn cicadas."
It was clear he understood, there were no hard feelings. She grabbed his hand nonetheless, and pulled him back down next to her. His face lit up, and her heart felt a little fuller, as she watched the ducklings bob up and down on calm waves.
Stretching out his legs, he leaned back on his elbows, and sighed heavily. A few moments later he reclined completely, another sigh,this time barely audible above the cicadas song.
A chill ran through her, and she crossed her arms a little tighter on top of her knees. The back of his hand brushed against her hip, stayed there, warm and reassuring.
Her throat tightened, she swallowed hard, blinking away tears that threatened to fall. Biting her bottom lip, she dropped her left hand, intertwined their fingers.
She was so sick of close calls. One of these days…
A shaky breath left her lips, his fingers squeezed reassuringly, confirming that he was still here, still by her side.
She squeezed back, focusing on the lake, the ducks, the calming breeze, the sound of the cicadas. Focusing on the comforting warmth of his hand, trying hard not to wonder when those close calls would stop being close calls, and the comforting warmth would be nothing more than a painful memory.
